Los Angeles Lakers point guard Isaiah Thomas is pain-free and ready to get back on track this summer.
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Isaiah Thomas has seen his stock plummet in a matter of months. Last season, he was fifth in MVP voting. About a year later, and Thomas’ basketball future is in question.
Thomas enters free agency this season with a lot of question marks surrounding him. After making his back the Brinks truck up comment last year, Thomas will be lucky to even land a multi-year deal this summer.
According to reports earlier this offseason, Thomas is going to meet a cold market in free agency. It should not come as a surprise, as Thomas’ production fell off a cliff this season because of a hip injury.
Thomas originally injured his hip during the 2017 postseason. However, he opted to just rehab the injury instead of undergoing surgery. That decision proved to be the wrong one.
After helping turn the Boston Celtics around, he was traded last offseason. Thomas was a part of the Kyrie Irving blockbuster, landing with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The hip injury kept him sidelined for the first 36 games of the season.
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Upon his return, things never really clicked. Thomas averaged 14.7 points on 36.1 percent shooting from the field and 25.3 percent from deep. He also added 4.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game with Cleveland.
Thomas lasted 15 games with the Cavaliers before they traded him to the Lakers, along with Channing Frye and a 2018 first-round pick. The Lakers sent Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. to Cleveland.
Thomas played a little better with the Lakers. He averaged 15.6 points on 38.3 percent shooting and 32.7 percent from deep. In addition, he added 5.0 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game.
However, it was clear that he was still hampered by the hip injury. After 17 games with the Lakers, Thomas decided it was time to undergo surgery.
Getting the surgery done was a smart decision for Thomas. The issue that plagued him throughout the 2017-18 season should be behind him. It also means that he is no longer hurting, as he shared on his Twitter account that he is finally pain-free again.
This is awesome news for Thomas. While he is unlikely to land the max-contract he was hoping to, this is at least a step in the right direction.
Now that he is pain-free and feeling better, he should be able to workout for teams this summer. That will be important for him as he will be showcasing to teams that he is worth signing.
At this time last year, no one would have expected Thomas would be in this position. If he lands in the right spot, he should have no problem rehabbing his value. Thomas is a prolific scorer and can fill it up. There are plenty of teams that could use that kind of offensive spark.
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While Thomas may not be signed in the first wave of free agency to a big money contract, he should have a great chance to improve his stock this season and hit free agency again next year, especially if he is as healthy as it sounds like.